13th Century Motet and English Polyphony

Genres
Motet
Franconian Motet
Petrus de Cruce Motet

13th century Motet
	Up to 1250	From 1250 through the rest of the century
Voices	- Same register freely crossing- Non-imitative counterpoint- Frequently 2 vioces	- Greater variety and flexibility (breaking away from rhythmic modes)
Rhythm	- Rhythmic modes are usually based on ternary groupings (called perfectio) note values and meters.-Commonly 6/8 -9/8 or 3/4, 6/4, 9/4- Duple division is seen but rare.	Franconian codified around 1280	Petrus de Cruce popular around 1270-1300		French Secular
		-, Distinct, Stratified- Slower tempos- Never divided in more than three semi breves	- More distinctHighly stratified- Even slower tempos- Four to seven semi breves		All voices nearly equal rhythm
	Tenor voice- Repetitive frequently a chant fragment				Secular Tenor came late in 13th century
	Upper voices-Each in a different rhythmic mode- Conform closely to rhythmic modes repeating the same patterns frequently	Upper voices-Each voice has own rhythmic character- Freer in rhythm- Do not strictly follow modes- Rarely repeat patterns between measures and voices- Rhythmic modes are implied between all voices
Harmony	- Based on medieval church modes- Phrases tend to begin and end on perfect consonances- Parallel 5,8, and 1 common (sometimes 3rds)- Generally white notecomposition with Bb.(F#'s come in the late 13th century and then C#'s)
Consonances	Perfect- P1,P4,P5,P8			Imperfect- 3rds (later 6ths)
Cadence Types	Dorian-m6 < 8m3 < 5	Phrygian-M6 < 8M3 < 5	Lydian-M6 < 8M3 < 5		Mixolydian- m6 < 8m3 < 5	“OnC”-M6 < 8m3 < 5

The motet began as an adaptation of poetry to music and quickly evolved into a complex compositonal technique featuring intriguing juxtapositions of sacred and secular text layering and interwining different ideas. Motet evolved when Notre Dame composers added newly written Latin words to upper vioces of discant clausulae, like texts added to chant melismas (Grout p104). Early motets were commonly written in two vioces for church services but quickly became used in other contexts including entertainment. By the 1250 three voice motes were the normy the. After the mid century composers began to develop tenor melodies from other chant and secular sources than Note Dame clausulae. (Grout p107) A significant development later half of the 13th century is Franconian notation. (Treatis Ars measurablis - The Art of Measurable Music). TheFranconian notation system
a) Based on discant clauslab) Compound title with first word of each textc) Different text in each vioced) irregular line lengths, accentuationand rhym scheme (because of existing duplum melody)e) Motets were reworked in several ways: 1) Writing a different text for the duplum in Latin or French 2) Adding a 3rd or 4th vioce to existing 2 vioce motets 3) Double Motet and Triple Motet was created by giving additional parts new texts 4) Deleting the duplum and adding one or more new vioces each with its own text 5) Creating new Motets from scratch by adding to Notre Dame tenor melodies in new rhythms and adding new vioces to fit. Ex 5.11 (p104) based on discant clausula

Characteristics of Motets in the first half of 1200's

Voices typicaly move in same register
Voices do not combine in homogeneous texture. Dominance of stratified texture
Predominantley non-imatative counterpiont
Rhythmic systems are predominantly ternary duple begin to apear but are not considered characteristic of the 13th century

(Taylor)
Rhythm:

Tenors in rhythmic mode or repetative pattern. (a precursor of the iso rhythmic compositional technique)
Upper vioces generaly used a single rhythmic mode for each vioce. used independent rhythmic modes. Second vioce (duplum) and third vioce (triplum) in early motes tended to be similar rhythmicaly later the added vioces became more independent.
Use of Rythmic Modes (After 1250 freer patterns appear in upper vioces and sometimes tenor.)

Harmony:

Based on church modes (for now we will limit that to the authentic modes)
Perfect Consonances P1st, (P4th declining), P5th, P8th comonly at the beginning. Ending of phrases comonly find a 5th and 8th above the tenor. (Grout pg110 – a 4th above the lowest note.)
Imperfect consonances 3rds (and later 6ths) commonly leading stepwise to a perfect consonance. (3>1/ 3<5 / 6>5 / 6<8)

Counterpiont:
Parallel 5th 8ves 1sts comon
Disonances:
Accidentals:
Sharps are not characteristic of 13th century music. In the late 13th century f#s become comon and c# s begin to appear. Bb is the only comonly used accidental.

Characteristics of Motets in the second half of 1200's

After 1250 (particularly 1275) Motet tenors start to develop from other than Notra Dame clausulae and chants
After 1250 uppervioces began to be written in increasingly contrasting rhythyms and melodic styles.

Rhythm:
Greater rhythmic variety and freedom. Generaly breaking away from rhthymic modes
Harmony:
Practices carry over from before
Franconian Motet

Upper voices differ in rhythm. Voices distinct and stratified 3 semi breves per breve but generally conform to rhythmic modes.
Patterns rarley repeat.
Tempos tend to be slower to accommodate faster notes in upper vioces
Rhythmic modes can be shared between vioces resulting in more freedom within each vioce. (???)
Semi breves are never divided into more than 3 semibreves per breve

Petrus de Cruce Motet
Extends practices of Franconian motet further. Tempos are even slower
Voices more distinct and stratified.
Triplum:Voices distinct and stratified 4-7 semi breves per breve.
Duplum: Slower no more than 3 semi beves per breve (same as Franconian system)
Tenor; Often a chant fragment
Secular French Motet

Things to Look For for Test
Possible dates for composition
Possible school of composer
Type of Compostion --(What type of Motet) Franconian Motet , Petrus de Cruce Motet, Early 13th century Motet

Not Covered Franconian notation-- (Grout)

English polyphony

After Norman conquest 1066 English culture became closely aligned with France. (organum, conductus motet, discant settings of troped chant, and secular traditions)

Preference for homophonic rhythm
Preference for regular phrasing in simple syllabic periodic melodies
Preference for long short (mode 1) (French preference for short long mode 3)
Greater use of 3rds and 6ths
Frequent use of rondellus sections in English conductus from later 13th century. Also rondellus motets. Rondeluss - a more intricate variation of voice exchange in which two or three phrases are taken up in turn by each of the voices(Grout pg112)
Rota – A cannon (round) at the unison (Grout pg113)

Before 1000 all composition consited of a single melody line.
Coming into 1300 composition became increasingly polyphonic with monophonic sections
Implications:
Harmony

Focused composers on the vertical sonorities, counterpoint, and harmony and there implications of tesion and resolution

Rhythm

Coordinating (or formally organizing) rhythm among parts

Notation
Innovations of the middle ages led to two basic features of Western music notation

Placement of vertical parts (the score) to coordinate parts
The use of note shapes to indicate how long a note sounds